HellasSat secures orbital rights

Greece’s HellasSat has concluded an agreement with the government of Cyprus which gives the satellite operator rights to the 39 degrees East slot for an additional 20 years, beyond the nominal life of the existing satellite (and to 2041). The deal will undoubtedly help HellasSat find a buyer for its satellite given that it now has the right to launch a second craft to the slot.

The satellite is managed by the HellasSat Consortium of Athens, but this is controlled by Greek’s national telecoms provider OTE, which has long said it wishes to get back to its core telephony operation.

Currently HellasSat 2 offers 30 Ku-band transponders. It was launched in 2003 and claims it is 96 per cent full.